Simulated earthquakes stress test 3D-printed house

The shaking table test will evaluate the seismic performance of 3D-printed concrete structures experiencing a medium-magnitude earthquake.

Traditional concrete design has well-established seismic behaviour, but 3D-printed concrete introduces variables including layered deposition, unique material properties, and non-traditional geometries.

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According to project leads Prof Anastasios Sextos and Dr Raffaele De Risi, the experiment aimed to fill the knowledge gap surrounding the dynamic response of 3D-printed units, particularly how they perform under recorded and simulated seismic events. By doing so, the team aims to identify strengths, weaknesses, and failure mechanisms specific to this construction method.

The results will contribute to the development of safety standards and design guidelines tailored for 3D-printed concrete in seismically active regions.

The experiment was conducted using a high-end shaking table capable of holding 50 tonnes and of simulating ground motions representative of real earthquake events.

The quasi-real-scale 3D-printed concrete unit was created using a robotic additive manufacturing process, ensuring controlled material deposition and geometry and instrumented with accelerometers, displacement sensors, and other gauges to capture a comprehensive set of dynamic response data.